14 Business ethics online courses to develop your team’s ethical mindset
We’ve put together a list of online courses about business ethics so your team can learn about the best ethical practices at work. These courses tackle topics on code of conduct, anti-bribery, anti-corruption, privacy policy, and more.
1. Ethics and Code of Conduct
Having a good work environment helps increase productivity as employees are more focused on the tasks at hand, without having to deal with negative and toxic behaviors from fellow employees. To be able to create a healthy work environment, employees must understand your company’s ethics and code of conduct. EdApp’s Ethics and Code of Conduct course is a free editable business ethics course that showcases positive values and principles to guide your employees actions and decisions. The course has 4 micro-lessons, which your employees can take at their own pace anytime, anywhere. It covers important topics, such as creating a healthy work environment, protecting company assets, and building a culture of integrity like the policies on the use of company properties and the company values.
Cost: Free
Certification: Available
Scope: Work environment, protecting company assets, culture of integrity, code of ethics
Created By EdApp
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2. Social Media Policy
Social media has been a strategic move that most companies have adopted to share company updates and relevant industry information. But, your social media team needs to have a policy in place when marketing their product to all users and the target audience to ensure you're not violating any social media rules. Fortunately, EdApp has a course about social media policy your business can use to make sure your social media team is exercising best practices. There are 4 lessons in this course namely, social media compliance, protecting company information, online ethics, and professional use of personal accounts. All EdApp's learning management system courses are delivered bite-sized to increase the ability of the learners to absorb information. Short quizzes are given at the end of each lesson to assess the learners’ knowledge about the topic for a whole learning experience.
Cost: Free
Certification: Available
Scope: Social media compliance and violations, protecting company information, online ethics and compliance, professional use of personal accounts
Created by EdApp
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3. Ethical Decision-Making for Global Managers
All managerial roles require decision-making. Sometimes, this involves situations that question ethics. edX’s Ethical Decision-Making for Global Managers course will help you examine real-life ethical dilemmas by using frameworks and risk assessments. There are 3 lessons in this course specifically, the foundations of ethical decision-making, labor & production dilemmas, and cultural & environmental impact, which you can take at your own pace. The course takes about 7 months when allocating 3-5 hours per week.
Cost: $375.30 (USD)
Certification: Available
Scope: Foundations of ethical decision-making, labor and production dilemmas, cultural and environmental impact, jurisdiction & compliance officers guide
Created by edX
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4. Introduction to Research Ethics: Working with People
When your research team is conducting a study, it’s your responsibility to ensure that the participants consent and know their rights. You also have to protect their data. The University of Leeds’ course on Introduction to Research Ethics gives a good introduction to research and applied ethics and how to work with the participants of the study to make your research valid. The course material dives into the key principles of ethical research, potential ethical standards issues, and application. The course will take around 2 weeks with 4 hours of study each week. Videos, audio recordings, articles, and assessments are included.
Cost: Free access for 4 weeks, $49 (USD) upgrade
Certification: Available
Scope: Key principles of ethical research, potential ethical issues, application
Created by FutureLearn
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5. Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy
In every organization, there is an opportunity for bribery and corruption to flourish if employees are not fully aware of what this might look like in the company. As early as possible, anti-bribery and anti-corruption policies must be made transparent to avoid damaging the records and the reputation of the company.
EdApp’s Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption Policy is an excellent online course to start training your teams with their lessons about risks, prevention, and country-specific guides, that you can take at your own pace. There is a certificate available once the online courseware is completed.
Cost: Free
Certification: Available
Scope: Bribery and corruption, risks, prevention, country-specific guide
Created by EdApp
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6. Business Ethics
The Business Ethics by Universal Class offers a comprehensive course about ethics and its application in different circumstances. There are 11 lessons and 24 exams, which you can take at your own pace. The lessons include business ethics, workplace ethics, compliance, responsibilities & impact, and consumer rights. The approximate duration of this online course is 8 hours that you can complete anytime within 6 months. The platform is PC, Mac, and smartphone compatible.
Cost: $50 (USD) without certificate, $75 (USD) with certificate
Availability: Available
Scope: Business ethics, importance of ethics, workplace ethics, compliance, responsibilities & impact, consumer rights
Created by UniversalClass
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7. Business Ethics in the 21st Century
Duke University’s Business Ethics course covers best practices when it comes to weighing moral rights and wrongs. It also discusses the repercussions of non-compliance, conflict-of-interest, and how to encourage ethical behavior amongst employees. The scope includes ethical frameworks, training, and corporate governance. This online course is self-paced and takes 10 hours to complete. It can be incorporated with blended learning. Quizzes are included throughout the course and you can get a certificate only when you earn a minimum of 70 percent average test score.
Cost: $299 (USD)
Certification: Available
Scope: Ethics framework, ethical triangle, training, corporate ethics & governance
Created by Duke
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8. FinTech Ethics and Risks
FinTech is starting to make a name when it comes to a new approach to financial services. Like its predecessor, cybersecurity plays an essential role in keeping internal systems safe. edX’s FinTech Ethics and Risks course is an online course that can give you a clear understanding of the wider implications of financial technology services, such as the ethics of finance, blockchain, governance, cybersecurity, and AI. There are 6 modules that you can take at your own pace. It can be completed in 6 weeks, with each lesson taking between 1-5 hours per week.
Cost: Free, $199 (USD) with certificate
Certification: Available
Scope: FinTech, ethics of finance, blockchain, governance, cybersecurity, AI
Created by edX
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9. Privacy Law and Data Protection
Penn’s Privacy Law and Data Protection course on Coursera takes a look at the laws and regulations on data privacy requirements. Data protection must be strictly implemented for organizations to be compliant, and this course is a good guideline on how to deal with legal issues, regulatory bodies, and instances of a breach. This online course accommodates a flexible schedule which you can take anytime. It takes approximately 12 hours to complete.
Cost: Enroll for free
Certification: Available
Scope: Legal issues, HIPAA, security & breach, regulatory bodies
Created by Coursera
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10. Privacy Policy
In the last 5 years, data collection and consumer rights have become an increasingly important discussion on a global scale. To ensure your business is compliant, it’s important to understand what laws govern your data and what to include in your company’s privacy policy. This is particularly important for employees who regularly access this consumer data. EdApp’s Privacy Policy course has 3 informative lessons that define the elements of data privacy and how they vary from region to region. Your team will also learn about the consequences of failure to comply with the policies. There is a quiz after every lesson and certification is given once completed.
Cost: Free
Certification: Available
Scope: Data privacy key elements, region-specific requirements, consequences of non-compliance
Created by EdApp
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11. Business Ethics
StraighterLine's Business Ethics online course delves into both philosophical and business concepts of ethics. It extensively covers topics like ethical decision-making, theoretical perspectives, ethical corporate structures, and social responsibility.
Course-takers will have the opportunity to examine and analyze workplace discrimination, marketing ethics, global ethics, and more. They can also opt for online tutoring when they want clarifications or need additional help while taking the course.
Cost: $79 (USD)
Certification: Available
Scope: Theoretical perspectives, morality in business, diversity and discrimination, global ethics, ethics in marketing, employee responsibilities
Created by StraighterLine
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12. The Ethical Leader
Although mainly for academia, this online business ethics course by Coursera can also be used by business leaders who want to take a more in-depth look at ethical concepts.
This instructor-led course covers a wide range of topics, including moral decision-making and leadership theories. By the end of the program, learners will know how to apply the principles of ethics to leadership practices and identify their ethical strengths and weaknesses. They'll also explore the industry’s techniques and standards of ethical leadership.
Cost: Enroll for free
Certification: Available
Scope: Logic of moral decision making, moral theories and responsibility, leadership theories, transformational leadership, inclusive leadership
Created by Coursera
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13. Business Ethics: Exploring Big Data and Tax Avoidance
Here, teams will get to explore the fascinating world of big data and its connection to tax avoidance. Throughout the course, they’ll be able to dive into the advantages and ethical challenges that come with big data.
They’ll also tackle important topics like privacy and data security, examining how they intersect with the use of big data. By the end of the business ethics course, employees will gain a clear understanding of tax avoidance and its implications. As globalization continues to shape our world, we will explore how it contributes to the occurrence of tax avoidance.
Cost: Free
Certificate: Available
Scope: what is big data and examples of its use, benefits, and potential ethical issues from data collection, the differences between tax avoidance, tax evasion, and tax planning
Created by FutureLearn
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14. Ethics in AI and Data Science
In this business ethics course by edX, employees will be able to gain a better understanding of the profound impacts that AI and Data Science have on our society. It discusses both the business and societal dynamics at play in this rapidly evolving AI landscape.
One of the highlights of this course is learning how to establish a solid framework for AI Principles. It guides teams step-by-step on how to initiate and implement ethical guidelines for AI within an organization or company.
Additionally, it tackles practical strategies and challenges involved in building an AI framework. Employees will acquire the necessary tools and knowledge to put ethics and responsibility into practice, ensuring that AI technologies are developed and utilized in a way that aligns with ethical standards.
Cost: Free
Certificate: Available
Scope: The state of ethics, trust, and responsibility with AI and data science, strategies and challenges of putting ethics into practice
Created by edX
Explore the courseWhy it’s important to have business ethics training
Fostering a good work environment for all employees is vital to the success of your organization. Having a healthy work environment increases the productivity of your employees and helps them have a positive attitude towards their work. You may also find yourself weighing ethical decisions and understanding what is acceptable behavior will help greatly improve the decision-making process of key employees. To be able to assess ethical situations, employees must have a deep understanding of business ethics to guide their future actions that can affect the company and its customers. Ethics is an important part of business and every ethical act has a great impact on how the company will fare in the future.